Kumiko's Tale
by Next-Big-Thing00
Summary: When Kumiko leaves her pitiful lifestyle to train with Master Roshi, she never imagined meeting a life-long friend, fighting evil forces, and living a life of adventure that no ordinary young girl could imagine. fem!Krillin. strong!Krillin.


Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z.

...

The dark tiles of the Orin Temple shone shined with the dew of early morning. The sun was just peeking above the horizon, but hiding behind the thin clouds of autumn. The landscape was bathed in pale blues and dreary greys as a result, but the fresh air was still just as crisp, and almost as warm as a new summer day. Birds were chirping their wake-up call, and crickets were just quieting down. Frogs were croaking to the shrill, buzzing melody of the cicadas, and the plants of the woods weren't sheltered from the sheen of dew that seemed to cover every surface that had been outside over night.. One resident of the temple was up earlier than the rest, and she intended to watch the sunrise in the most enjoyable way possible- on the roof.

Kumiko leaned back on her hands, which were braced palms-down on the hard roof. Her legs were crossed, and her grey and black sleeping wear almost blended in with the near-black tiles. She breathed in deeply, savoring the woody scent of the misty air. She had heard through the rumor mill that an old master was entering a pupil of his in the WMA Torunament. The other girls were all signing up. It was only a matter of time before those other girls awoke, and she had intended to get an early start on training during this very, very fine morning. Sighing her resignation, Kumiko carefully stood and carefully stepped her way to the edge of the roof, jumping to the concrete wall a few feet down, and from there to the wet, grassy ground. Her landing step faltered, and she slipped and fell on her behind. A blush painted of embarassment painted her cheeks, but as there was no one else around, it quickly went away.

Her two shoulder blade-length braids on either side of her head swung behind her as she hopped back up, got as much mud off of the back of her short slate-grey sleeping tunic as she could, and jogged back toward the large entrance of the temple, bare-footed. As soon as she pushed the heavy doors closed behind her, a familiar screech disturbed her early-morning serenity.

"AAAYEEE! KUMIKO! Why were you outside with _no shoes?! _You're tracking mud on the floor!" A tall, pale (hard to tell this, because she was as red as a tomato), teenage girl screamed at her. Kumiko cringed at her shrill voice and looked over her shoulder at the trail of sticky dirt in the shape of her own small foot, biting her lip. "You are _so _gonna a get it when we train today! _What a slob!_" Well, goodbye, early-morning training plans.

"Nori, I promise I'll clean it up- I swear- !"

"Ugh. Whatever. I'm still not going easy." Nori stomped away, still in her sleeping clothes. It was obvious she was just laying down the training mats for the morning and making them as straight as possible. It was mainly Nori kept extra hygienic order in the Orin Temple, and Kumiko grudgingly admit she did a good job, even if she cared little for the uptight teenage girl.

Kumiko cleaned her feet with a damp cloth and then used a mop to wipe up the evidence of her trip outside. By that time, all of the other girls were up and about, doing their morning chores hurriedly in anticipation for a brand new day of training. She was shoved around in the hall more than once by an over-excited peer- it wasn't hard, considering how short she was compared to some of the others. Kumiko finally reached the bathroom, and bathed before dressing in her yellow and orange uniform, worn by all girls at the Orin Temple. She headed toward the kitchens, where she was to assist in washing dishes.

After chores were finished, a gong sounded, and the shuffling of feet could be heard heading toward the main room- the dojo.

Kumiko sat at her place around the mats, and stared intensely at her ankles. Horrible anticipation balled in her stomache, and she could feel her hands shaking where they were placed on her knees. The shaking increased as minutes ticked by, people falling on the mats in defeat and declaring informal rematches. Finally, she heard Nori's annoying shrill voice call her name.

"Kumiko, it's your turn!" She sneered. "This'll teach you to get the floor dirty!"

"If a little dirt freaks you out this much, you clearly have no place fighting anywhere but the mats." Nori's face reddened, and Kumiko felt a tendril of pride at her sassy comeback. The clump of dread piled high in her stomache lessened just a little, but it was short-lived- Nori had had enough banter and was on her before the younger girl had a chance to blink.

A burning sensation burst into life on her left cheek, signaling to Kumiko that she had just been slapped. Her feet were knocked out from under her, and a kick sent her rolling through the air and landing hard on her back on the mats- it knocked the breath out of her and rendered her speechless for a few moments. Nori's shrill laughter made a burn of embarassment color Kumiko's face for the second time that morning. Kumiko shakily stood, wincing at the pain in her side from the kick. She was still slightly out of breath from landing on her back that hard.

"Not so easy to speak now, is it, little girl?" Kumiko ground her teeth together, staring intensely at the cushioned floor below her feet. A few strands of her inky hair fell in her face, and she didn't bother brushing them away or puffing them to the side.

Every time they trained, Nori or one of the older girls would always do their best to make Kumiko look like a fool. Pushing, kicking, slapping her around. Tugging her braids from the back of her head so hard that it made her topple over backward. Taunting her, calling her 'little girl' and making sure that her self-esteem never got high enough to gain the confidence to beat them in a match. Kumiko detested them. She _hated _training with such prideful snobs.

Kumiko shifted her gaze to the six burn marks on her right forearm, the mark of the Temple. She had come here to become stronger, but time had only revealed that she had become weaker in spirit. Her shame broke through the surface, and tears trailed down her face as she turned and rushed from the room, leaving a hushed room behind her.

...

Taking a large square of cloth and folding it up, Kumiko packed up some meager belongings- a few extra tunics and baggy training pants, and just enough organic food to last three days- perhaps there was fruit in the woods.

The old master she had heard of- Master Roshi- once he heard of how she traveled from far away just to learn from him, he would surely teach her alongside with his other pupil. Kumiko grinned for the first time in a week. Wait until Nori and the others saw how strong she was! They would be the ones lying in pain on the mats the next time around.

_Speak of the devil and she shall appear... _Though Kumiko, when her door slammed open. A smug-faced Nori was smirking at her from the doorway. Kumiko only knew it was her out of her peripheral vision; she didn't consider the other girl worthy of her full attention. Eventually, after her sack was all tied up over her shoulder and she had nothing else to focus on, Kumiko had to turn around and face the girl.

"Running away _again_, little girl? Figures- you're too weak to stand a chance with anybody here anyway." Kumiko bit her tongue and walked past her. Nori didn't seem surprised in the least at Kumiko's actions; the younger girl always held in her anger until she had reached her boiling point. "What, still too out of breath? That's a real shame- I only kicked you with enough force to knock a vase."

Kumiko rolled her eyes, and kept on walking. Nori wouldn't bother her anymore after she left. For good.

Nori, on the other hand, was grappling for something to make the small girl blow her top. "After I win the tournament, I'll tell everyone that about you, my inspiration- even on my worst days, I could still kick you around for self-esteem build-up."

Kumiko scowled, but kept walking until she reached the doors. Then, she turned to the girl that had been following her. "If you're trying to provoke me, it's not working. I'm leaving for good, and when you see me again, I'll be stronger than you can even imagine!" Kumiko gave Nori one last fiery glare, and slammed the heavy doors behind her. They echoed loudly through the Temple walls.


End file.
